Monday, August 26, 2013

With fall right around the corner and the return back to school quickly approaching, I find myself feeling a mixture of anticipation and dread.

Anticipation because the excitement that my kids have for getting to be back with their friends and focusing on their love of learning is contagious.

Dread, however, over the fact I know that I'm going to miss their little faces every day... and that I have to pack their lunches. I'm not the only one who looks at a child's lunch box and silently curses it, right? Why is it so difficult to come up with something nutritious and filling that they will happily eat?

This is why this year I am determined to not leave things to the last minute, only to find myself scrambling to throw something together every weekday morning. Instead, I've been happily browsing through the wide selection of recipes, ingredients and more at KraftRecipes.com to get a few new sandwich recipes and other ideas.

Upon stumbling on the Polka Dot Sandwich, I hardly was finished reading the ingredients to my kids before they were enthusiastically nodding their heads!

Both of my girls tend to stick with the classic peanut butter and jelly, so as soon as I saw that this sandwich combines a little sweet, a little chewy and a whole lot of flavor, I was reaching for my loaf of bread to try it out.

Top one bread slice with bananas in three rows of three slices each. Sprinkle remaining bread slice with raisins; press gently into cream cheese to secure.

Close sandwich to serve. Enjoy!

As suspected, my girls were thrilled with this new sandwich option and have both declared it a must-have for school lunches (and beyond).

In fact, we've already been discussing variations that we would like to attempt, for instance, using regular PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread and strawberries or replacing the banana with slices of nectarine. The options are endless!

This season, be sure to browse the large number of recipes available at KraftRecipes.com to find a huge selection of snack and sandwich ideas that are creative, delicious, fun and perfect for enjoying at home or in a lunch box.

This post is a part of a partnered campaign with Kraft Foods, however, all thoughts and opinions shared are honest and my own.

I've never tried cream cheese as a spread for sandwiches, but I'm sure it's delicious! I can just imagine the possible fruit that can be added along with bananas to the sandwich. I'm glad your girls enjoy the raisins and the bananas!

this sounds good! One time a person from Turkey made me a sandwich of dates and cream cheese, it was awesome and after that I had it all the time! this recipe reminds me of it, and cream cheese in a sandwich should happen more often (and raisins, too!) or dates!

I don't have to pack lunches but that doesn't mean I don't have to MAKE lunches! I love the idea for this sandwich, even for adults. It's certainly different, and something I wouldn't have thought of myself. Thanks for the inspiration.